President Obama looks out the window of Marine One during the flight to Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., Jan. 11, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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The Week Ahead:

Monday: The President will welcome the President of Spain, Mariano Rajoy Brey, to the White House

Tuesday: The President will hold a Cabinet meeting, and in the afternoon he will welcome the 2013 NBA Champion Miami Heat to the White House to honor the team on winning their second straight championship title

Wednesday: The President will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, for an event on the economy

Thursday: The President and First Lady will host an event at the White House on expanding college opportunity

Friday: The President will make remarks about the outcome of the review that he has led on the issue of signal intelligence

As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) bridge scandal continues to unfold, his allies and defenders have a serious challenge. Under the most generous of scenarios, the governor was clueless about his own team’s corruption, kept in the dark while his top aides abused their power in his name, deliberately crippling a community over petty politics.

Many Republicans and Christie admirers aren’t sure how best to respond, but they’ve taken a long look at the available evidence, and have decided to ask the question that matters most to them: “Isn’t President Obama awful?”

…. It’s hard to know where to start with such a ridiculous response to a controversy….

…. Republicans and other Christie admirers, instead of dealing with the bridge story on the merits, are comparing the responses to a legitimate controversy and discredited faux-controversies. In their eagerness to defend the governor, they’re criticizing the president for reasons that simply don’t make sense.